Health Food Labeling Standard for Cross-Border E-Commerce
JHFC-L-001 Enacted: 3 September 2026 / Effective: the same day
Japan Certified Health Food Council (JHFC) — English translation of the standard. In case of discrepancy the Japanese text prevails. Japanese original
Japan Certified Health Food Council (JHFC)
Enacted: 3 September 2026 / Effective: the same day
Preamble (Rationale for Enactment)
In cross-border e-commerce, the seller, dispatch location, target country and applicable regulatory systems are easily confused on a single page. Purchase conditions vary according to the purchaser's location, while important qualifying information may be omitted from search results or automatic translations. Directly transferring regulatory labeling used overseas to pages intended for Japan may cause misunderstanding of the product's legal status or the allocation of responsibility. This Standard is established to make transaction conditions and quality information specific to cross-border sales identifiable before purchase.
Article 1 (Purpose)
The purpose of this Standard is to clarify the target market, selling and dispatching entities, product specifications, applicable labeling, costs, delivery and inquiry methods for health foods sold through cross-border e-commerce, and to assess whether the information presented at the time of ordering can be verified after the transaction.
Article 2 (Scope)
This Standard applies to labeling controlled by domestic business operators that sell health foods across national or regional borders through purchase pages on websites, online marketplaces, applications and social media. It also covers cases where advertisements direct purchasers to external payment services or third-party storefront pages.
Article 3 (Terms and Definitions)
- 1. Target market: The country or region of purchasers for which the business operator has designed its sales and labeling.
- 2. Cross-border selling entity: The party to the purchase contract that is responsible for accepting orders, payment processing and the transaction.
- 3. Dispatching entity: The entity that holds inventory and arranges shipment to the purchaser.
- 4. Market-specific labeling: The complete set of labeling adapted to the language, regulatory systems and product specifications of the target market.
- 5. Order-time record: A record preserving the product, labeling version, price, delivery information and agreed terms presented when the purchase was confirmed.
Article 4 (Requirements)
- 1. Product pages shall identify the cross-border selling entity, dispatching entity, country or region of dispatch, party responsible for import procedures and post-purchase inquiry contact in a form that can be recognized before purchase confirmation. The platform name shall not cause confusion with the selling entity, and consistency shall be verified among business operator information, storefront agreements and order records.
- 2. For each target market, the product name, dosage form, net quantity, ingredients, content of principal ingredients, recommended intake, storage conditions, method of labeling the best-before date and cautionary information shall be controlled. Important information shall not be provided solely within images. The labeling version of the physical product sold and the market-specific labeling on the product page shall be cross-checked using the product code.
- 3. Statements concerning accreditation, certification, notification or authorization shall be accompanied in close proximity by the country or region of the relevant system, the issuing entity, the subject covered and validity. Labeling shall not imply that status under a regulatory system in one market also applies in another. Published content shall be checked against official databases or issued documentation.
- 4. Where translation or automatic switching of displayed content is used, the correspondence between the source text and each language version, translation dates, reviewers and labeling versions shall be controlled. Particular attention shall be given to cross-checking ingredient names, units, negative expressions, storage methods and precautions. Unreviewed machine translation output alone shall not be used on purchase pages.
- 5. In addition to the product price, shipping charges, taxes, customs duties and other items potentially payable by the purchaser, the currency, the point in time used for currency conversion and return conditions shall be separately indicated before purchase confirmation. Where subscription purchases or quantity selections are offered, the selected options and total amount shall be available for reconfirmation, and order-time records shall be cross-checked against billing information.
- 6. The expected delivery schedule, tracking method, temperature, light protection or damage prevention conditions required during transport, and regions to which delivery is unavailable shall be displayed or made readily accessible. In the event of prolonged delays, customs holds, temperature excursions or damage, communications, decisions on acceptance upon receipt and return handling shall be retained in delivery records.
- 7. Search results, advertisements, abbreviated pages and external sales pages shall provide access to the main product information, sales conditions and correction information. When sales end or formulations, labels or target markets change, publication locations, including cached content, shall be identified, and completion of withdrawal or replacement shall be recorded.
- 8. At order confirmation, the product code, information needed to identify the lot, labeling version, selected quantity, destination market and agreed conditions shall be retained. When a complaint, return or inquiry is received, the labeling presented at the time of the order shall be reconstructed, and past transactions shall not be assessed solely on the basis of the current page.
Article 5 (Assessment Categories)
- Conformity: The target market, selling and dispatching entities, specifications of the physical product, scope of application of regulatory systems and transaction conditions are clear before purchase, and the labeling presented at the time of the order can be reconstructed.
- Partial conformity: The principal information used for purchase decisions is consistent, but there are deficiencies in some external pages or translation histories, and corrective actions, including withdrawal of published content, are recorded.
- Nonconformity: The responsible entity or dispatch location cannot be identified, regulatory labeling from another market is transferred, the physical product differs from the product page, or information presented at the time of the order is not retained.
Article 6 (Implementation)
The cross-border selling entity may make a self-declaration of conformity on the basis of cross-checks of market-specific labeling, physical product labels and order-time records. Upon application, the Council may verify information from labeling through delivery records for selected markets and orders. Conformity with this Standard shall be reassessed when target-market regulatory systems, sales channels, translation methods or logistics conditions change.
Supplementary Provisions
This Standard shall take effect on 3 September 2026.
Note: This Standard provides assessment criteria for information disclosure and quality management practices and does not guarantee the efficacy, effects or safety of individual products.